Vegan
Japanese
Fast food
Beer/Wine

Fully vegan café-restaurant and tourism hotspot located on Dotonbori's shop street a block from the canal. Dishes include takoyaki, yakisoba, deep-fried skewers ("kushikatsu"), vegan cutlet rice bowls ("katsudon"), fried gyoza dumplings and more. Open Mon-Fri 11:30am-11:00pm, Sat-Sun 11:00am-11:00pm. Public holidays have Sat-Sun hours.


Venue map for Pivot BASE Cafe & Bar @Dotonbori
© OpenStreetMap contributors

Featured Review

tknasir

Points +20

Vegan
14 Aug 2024

Great Osakan Cuisine

Really great Osakan cuisine! One of the troubles of being vegan in Japan is the lack of options and as lovely as some of the other vegan restaurants we tried were, they had lots of burgers and not as much “traditional” cuisine. Having just had a tour guide tell us about all this traditional Osakan food that we couldn’t eat, we found out that pretty much all of it was served here! Can’t speak highly enough of it, so nice to not have to miss out on any of the culinary culture just because we’re vegan! Also has really friendly staff who speak great English and an easy to use online order/menu system in English!

Pros: Traditional food, Friendly staff, Central location


102 Reviews

First Review by feebz1986

izzyallwood

Points +27

Vegetarian
09 Dec 2024

Amazing food!

We went back 3 times because the food was so delicious. Had the vegan pork ramen, takoyoki and cutlet. Was amazing!

muscleup

Points +16

Vegan
08 Dec 2024

Great food!

Modern with great options! Loved the ramen and will return to try menu items 👍👍

LauraBolger

Points +70

Vegetarian
03 Dec 2024

Great options on a Main Street

Decent vegan food on a Main Street. I got the dumplings and they were very gingery but otherwise fantastic. They had a large range of options which is so rare here in Japan. The staff were lovely as well!

Updated from previous review on 2024-12-03

EmilyCheung

Points +188

Vegetarian
29 Nov 2024

Easy to find

Close to Shinsaibashi 心齋橋,easy to find. The soup noodles is tasty, I love it but the fried noodles is a bit salty.

Araya_Purple

Points +34

Vegan
29 Nov 2024

Incroyable !

Nous avons pris des takoyaki, des yakisoba et des ramen au lait de soja, tout était incroyable !
Le staff est adorable et l'endroit est calme, ça fait du bien avec le tumulte de la rue (très touristique).
Je recommande !

VincentLEMERDY

Points +52

Vegan
27 Nov 2024

So Delicious!!!

They say "credit card only" but they accept debit cards too. Just no cash.
We tried the vegan Ramen and the takoyaki. Blew our minds away. Its so nice to find places like these, which give you the opportunity to try traditional Japanese food without any of the suffering.
Staff were super kind! And the trip to the toilet was an adventure.

Pros: Takoyaki, Vegan Ramen Spicy, Stir fried kimchi

WeirdBeard

Points +27

Vegetarian
26 Nov 2024

Just amazing

I had fried noodles and a matcha gelato. I loved it! Prices are fair, and the staff is super friendly.

Updated from previous review on 2024-11-26

GayathriV

Points +13

Vegetarian
26 Nov 2024

Great vegan options

Food was delicious! Ambience is almost too nice for Dotonburi area, but it was a lovely stopover while walking around. Vegan ramen is delicious, and my spouse (who is not v/vg) had the takoyaki set and pronounced it really tasty.

They had a decent variety on their menu. Probably slightly pricier than other options in the area, but worth it.

Pros: Vegan ramen, Takoyaki set

bockst5

Points +16

Vegan
22 Nov 2024

Great Food Great Place

Located central in Dotonburi. We found this Place offering typicall japanese specialties in between Fish and meet all around.

Graced to have found it.

AkrisBarlok

Points +71

Vegetarian
20 Nov 2024

Great food dirctly in Dotonbori

Place is directly in Dotonbori close to the famous Ebisubashi Bridge. Serves vegan variants of Japanese specialities. Very friendly staff, ordering is done via mobile. Food was good and quick. Payment is credit card only!

Updated from previous review on 2024-11-20

Pros: Vegan variants of local specialities , English Menu, easy order via mobile, Friendly staff

Cons: Dishes came one after another, not together

BiancaEskinazi

Points +75

Vegan
17 Nov 2024

Authentic Takoyaki!!

Takoyaki was one of my favourite Japanese dishes of my late childhood and teenage years, and I was really happy they have an identical vegan version of it!! The taste is the same, the brown sauce is spot on! And the texture is also the same, they put bits of konjiac in it to mimic the texture of octopus, which is clever.
I haven’t tried anything else on their menu, but I highly highly recommend you to try their takoyaki.

tcollins

Points +80

Vegan
17 Nov 2024

Closed half an hour before time posted

Walked all the way here just for it to be closed early it’s very annoying when there aren’t other options anywhere else for you.

GlauciaMonteiro

Points +230

Vegan
13 Nov 2024

Great food

Loved that it was all vegan and you could chose your food without any worry.
LOVED the vegan mayo they had.
Definitely worth the visit

Pros: Staff, Location , All vegan

dew4444

Points +13

Vegetarian
09 Nov 2024

Very good!

Located in the middle of streets where people line up for meat, finding this place was a relief. Went at about 8pm, the service was fast, authentic asian options, and no compromise on taste.

teneal86

Points +28

Vegan
07 Nov 2024

Great location amazing staff

We came to Osaka and Pivot was on our vegan restaurants must see list. It did not disappoint. Everything on the menu is fresh, cooked to order and delicious. The staff are amazing. The area is spacious bright and clean. It is in the heart of Dontonbori so while everyone else is having their street food, you can come in and enjoy some amazing plant based Japanese delicacy. We came here three times in our trip haha. 

Pros: The Ramen, The cutlets and takoyaki, The AFFOGATO!!!

Cons: None

MaximalGaming

Points +13

Vegetarian
06 Nov 2024

Takoyaki vegan experience

Yummy Takoyaki balls for a good price.

Pros: Yummy, Good price, Friendly

Stevethefashionaddict

Points +287

Vegan
05 Nov 2024

Worst service ever

Took years to give out a tea(25 minutes)
Then the vegetable skewers took another 20 minutes. The takoyaki that I came for took even longer and the waiter never came to inform that it will take longer or anything. After I asked him he told me 10 minutes or I can just cancel the order. Hahaha this is such a jk. It wasn’t even really crowded. People who sat there before me got their food also like 25 minutes after i arrived. Maybe just inform ppl. I left the place with not even touching the fried veggies.

driest

Points +38

Vegan
05 Nov 2024

Disappointing

Went here due to the great reviews, but food was quite bland. It's nice this place exists as an option when vegans can't find anything else, but I wouldn't come here again.

Usename

Points +22

Vegan
05 Nov 2024

Best Vegan Ramen

The most delicious vegan ramen so far in Japan!

Pros: Best ramen, Friendliest staff, Wonderful food

DennisDaMennis

Points +22

Vegan
04 Nov 2024

Amazing!

Wonderful place! Amazing service! Food was divine! Order the sake! You get a little mini traditional pouring service at your table. Great fun!

pixel_pusher

Points +81

Vegan
03 Nov 2024

A way to experience one of Osaka's best known foods

I just want to say that, it's fantastic that there's a vegan restaurant right in the heart of Dotonbori. I'm so happy that it exists. That being said, it's pretty pricy but that's to be expected on Dotonbori and especially for vegan food. I had kushikatsu, yakisoba and takoyaki. This set me back about $26. Not bad though, compared to eating out in the US. I was expecting the takoyaki to be a lot hotter than it was. I wanted piping hot but it was just warm. The kushikatsu was just ok. I think the sauce was lacking flavor. I would have liked to see mochi in the lineup too. Yakisoba was basically what I expected. Nothing to really wow me. 3 stars might be harsh but if this were Tabelog, I'd give it around the same score, maybe a 3.5. It's decent, it's good enough.

The staff has English speakers along with a couple other languages. I noticed that the staff's name badges have their language proficiencies on display. It's a really casual spot, and it's not crowded. Even when Dotonbori is chaos outside, I only saw a handful of people eating here. All in all, I think it was decent. It's a sorely needed vegan spot in the heart of Osaka's prime tourist attraction. I think this place is better with a bunch of friends having drinks. The food is just something to snack on while you hang out, not so much the reason to eat out.

Pros: It's a vegan restaurant on Dotonbori, Usually not crowded

Cons: Food wasn't hot when it came out, Not really a con but the food was just ok

RitaCastanhito

Points +386

Vegan
03 Nov 2024

Best vegan Ramen!!!!!

Delicious ramen..... it was so good.....

Pros: Food quality , Friendly service

lettix

Points +1594

Vegan
03 Nov 2024

Best food experience in Osaka

We had the curry with soy cutlets and Tantan Ramen and those two were the best meals I had during my time in Osaka, actually in Japan in general.

Keita_Y

Points +51

Vegan
02 Nov 2024

Touristy but fun | 活気に溢れてました

Right in the touristic street of Dotonbori. Easy to find and quite spacious. Can find Osakan foods like 串カツ (Kushikatsu) and たこ焼き (Takoyaki). You can find Konjac instead of Tako (octopus) so I guess it’s こんにゃく焼き? Whether it’s authentic is questionable. The food was still tasty but can be a bit pricey (~¥2000 per person). Everyone there speaks great English and all are super fun to talk to😄
_____

お店は道頓堀の蟹道楽を超えたあたり。たこ焼きや串カツなどの大阪名物がヴィーガン仕様で食べられます。たこ焼きの中身はこんにゃくなので「たこ焼き」とは言えないかもですが、外カリカリ中トロトロで美味しかったです。でも、お値段はやっぱり観光地向けかも。中はだいぶ広く、観光客で賑わっていました。店員さんが元気いっぱいで、会話も弾んじゃいました😆 寄ってみると楽しいと思います。

Pros: Osakan food, Fun interactions

Cons: Touristy, Bit pricey, Can be crowded

MarcosAbdallah

Points +253

Vegan
31 Oct 2024

Perfect place to eat when in Dotonbori

We had takoyaki, gelatto and katsudon. We loved it so much that after a day trip to Nara we headed back to Dotonbori just to eat another round of takoyaki

ShaharLevi

Points +20

Vegan
29 Oct 2024

Delicious!

Went there twice because I loved the place so much!
Had vegan Takoyaki and stirfried vegetables with vegan meat. It was great! Highly recommend

Pros: Many options , Good service

Cons: Can only pay with card

sarar245

Points +24

Vegan
28 Oct 2024

Sadly just okay

I am happy about every vegan place, so I am also happy that the Pivot Cafe exists. But the food was not very good in my opinion. The takiyoki were way top soft, nearly liquid. And the edamame were below average - cold (like half freezed) and a very small portion for the prize. So, sadly I can not recommend it. Staff was very friendly, thank you for the service.

Updated from previous review on 2024-10-28




This page has been viewed 15676 times.